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Part of the Commonwealth of Australia, Tasmania is an island state separated from Australian mainland by the Bass Strait. Tasmania is the 26th largest island in the world and the state encompasses the smaller neighboring islands as well. Nearly 45% of Tasmania is promoted as a Natural state and is home to forest reserves, national parks and a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Read more

If you are fond of the land down under but also don’t want to separate yourself too much from modern conveniences, then Melbourne is probably the place for you. I’m sure I’ve said it before in different ways but it definitely rings true. I’m sure there are some people out there like me with a little wanderlust who might feel more inclined for the more rugged activities that only the Australian outback can offer. That’s perfectly fine for them and for anyone else who agrees, but I’ll probably never stray too far from a nice Wi-Fi hotspot like Melbourne (or maybe another major city in Australia like Sydney).

I’m not against enjoying the more physical activities; I’m not a complete nerd all the time. For instance, I did learn the basics about surfing the last time I was at the beach and I had a total blast doing it. Granted, I did my share of embarrassing slips and falls in the course of learning how to properly balance myself, but I got it eventually. The fact that Australia is renowned for being one of the greatest places to surf on the planet is probably a factor for my favoritism in this situation but that aside, if you get the chance to surf anywhere, you should definitely try it out and see if it’s fun for you as well.

Aside from being a great city with access to some of the finest technological advances in modern society and activities for the most vigorous outdoorsman, the culture of Melbourne is actually surprisingly progressive. Despite being a nation with strong western influences, the city still happily celebrates cultural events that are clearly more eastern, a welcoming gesture if I ever saw one. Below you can see a celebration going on right in the heart of Melbourne celebrating the Hindu festival known as Diwali.

Now I can’t speak for everyone; I’ve got something of a travel bug in me I must admit, but I think everyone should try to travel as much as they possibly can during their life time. I personally like the concept of reincarnation and I hope those who follow Hinduism are correct in that belief, but the possibility that this is the only life we have to live is a very real one to me, so I’m going to do my best to live it up and enjoy every minute of it that I have while I’ve got it. That being said, I’ve never been to Australia, one of the largest countries on the planet and the special country that is also its own continent. There’s a lot to see down under, including the beautiful scenery of the expansive outback and the beautiful oceans that are rife with surfing and scuba diving (if you’ve never tried scuba diving, I highly recommend it, there’s nothing quite like breathing like you’re Darth Vader under water completely unafraid of breathing in water!) But I’m also a social butterfly and I do enjoy big cities that are full of culture, restaurants, concerts, and general human activity. And to that end, I think Melbourne is one of the primary stops I’d have to make if I ever get the opportunity to visit Australia.

Here’s an exceptional photo of what is aptly named the Princess Bridge in Melbourne. It has a certain regal quality to it I have to admit, maybe it’s the lingering latent influence of Australia’s origin linked back to the United Kingdom, but it reminds me of the London Bridge without the addition of the large columns. Maybe it’s not so much like London Bridge to most people but hey, it still reminds me of it all the same! This exquisite evening shot comes to us courtesy of Jorge Láscar.

I’m not always a giant fan of shopping malls, especially the ones that are just a bit too business-like, you know? I like the touch of class that makes them more of a social experience and allows the shopper to enjoy some nice architecture, maybe some aesthetic lighting, and of course there’s always some amusement to be had in the choice of music that the individual stores choose to stick into their soundtrack. I like the personal touches, the little things that remind me that we’re all just people.

Speaking of malls, here we have a nice shot of the Royal Arcade Melbourne. I’m particularly impressed by the high walls and the little symmetrical borders along the ceiling. The fact that the place looks spotless doesn’t hurt either! We have Alpha of flickr.com to thank for this sweet picture!

And before I close up this post I just want to offer one more cool picture of an impressive piece of Australian architecture that just makes me want to save up and rack up some frequent flier miles on my way to Melbourne as soon as possible.

I do love the way bridges that are positioned close to the water level are able to bend and elevate to allow boats to cross beneath them. Kevin Gibbons from flickr.com is the owner of this photo of modern engineering at its finest.